London Spy

London SPY is an exceptionally well-filmed thriller centering on the protagonist Danny Holt (Ben Whishaw) and his quest to find out precisely who his lover Alex/ Alistair (Edward Holcroft) actually is, and whether Alex has actually been murdered or not.

That quest takes Danny into a dark and frequently confusing netherworld in which nothing is quite as it seems and truth is indistinguishable from falsehood. Although clearly an innocent party, Danny's ignorance of Alex/ Alistair's past lands him in trouble; he is suspected of having committed murder, even though we are well aware that he is an innocent party - a young, rootless man searching for stability in an often hostile world.

Jakob Verbruggen's six-part thriller unfolds slowly, with the camera focused tightly on the protagonists' facial expressions as they act and react to a variety of different situations. This makes for a claustrophobic atmosphere; we feel as imprisoned as the characters within webs of deceit that are rendered even more confusing by a willful dedication towards perpetuating falsehoods. When Danny visits Alistair/ Alex's parents (Charlotte Rampling, Nicholas Chagrin), he is told a tissue of lies; and subsequently warned off further inquiries by a professional hitperson (Clarke Peters). Needless to say Danny continues his quest for the truth, but ends up becoming more deeply enmeshed within the webs.

Laurie Rose's cinematography is especially effective; his camera swirls around the characters, emphasizing their lack of certainty; and frequently indulges in long tracking shots as the characters move down long corridors or through gardens. This stylistic device is ironic; a tracking shot implies forward movement, almost as if a plot-complication might be resolved in the process. In London SPY, however, the tracking shots lead to nothing, and thereby emphasizing the absence of truth that dominates the plot.

This series might be described as moody, almost reflective in tone, concentrating as much on the characters' emotions as the plot. We share with Danny a desire to unravel the plot, but at the same time realize how easy it is to be bamboozled, especially when there are so many people wanting to create smokescreens, whether verbal or physical. The center of London has seldom seemed so sinister, with the Thameside lights in the background contrasting with the nighttime shadows in which Danny spends much of his time.

London SPY requires our attention, but rewards us for our efforts. Definitely worth staying with.

The title of this fantastic series, "London Spy", may be just a little misleading. If you are looking for a well written, edge of your seat, spy story, you've found it here. "London Spy" is an atmospheric, very stylistic, story of the human condition and spies. However, the international intrigue angle of this series is secondary to, but tightly woven through, a love story between Danny and Alex. They meet briefly, by chance, when Alex is on his early morning jog and Danny is at the end of a long night of partying. It is a metaphor for the opposite ends of life, and the world, from which they will come together. Their awkward relationship is a departure from their entrenched and established lives up to that point. Danny is a party boy at the end of a misspent youth and Alex is an overachiever at the end of a youthful, self-imposed, isolation. Together, they find solace in their unlikely love for one another.

I won't talk about the plot here and give away the well written suspense devices but I will say that something happens between Alex and Danny that calls into question Alex's true identity, his intentions, and his sincerity. Things become inexplicable and unpredictable. And for reasons unknown, everyone; Danny's best friend, Alex's mother, the police, everyone, seems invested in convincing Danny that Alex, and their relationship, is a fraud. Danny finds a coded thumb drive among Alex's belongings that seems to hold answers to something; possibly everything. But he does not have the code and therefore can't read it. What ensues from here is a labyrinthine journey through the world of hidden powers, unlikely loyalties, and Danny's questionable past.

These five episodes are brilliantly written, filmed, and the performances are off the charts amazing. Ben Wishaw is just quite frankly one of the most talented and interesting actors working today. He is in every scene. And as brilliant as his construction of a character is, his ability to step aside and "listen" through a scene demonstrates a talent that is truly unique. Charlotte Rampling, with saddest and most seductive eyes in film, is still statuesque and formidable, and gives one of the best performances of her long and storied career. Her voice lilts with soothing assurance as her words cut you off at the knees. Jim Broadbent? Nuf said. Riccardo Scarmarcio, as a heartless male escort, is as alluring as he is repellent. His one scene in episode 4 is hypnotic. Samantha Spiro as a London police detective shows American actresses how to be powerful and threatening without adopting superficial mannish affectations. She is fierce and effective. You do not want to be interrogated by this woman. Mark Gatiss as a record producer, drug provider, orgy organizer, out of Danny's past is as skeevy as they come. He does not have one redeeming quality and he plays it without a micron of shame. Who ever plays a villain this well?

This screenplay by Tom Rob Smith is well written and the cast and director Jakob Verbruggen, pull it all together into a compelling and riveting story. How this story line is parsed out, clues rationed, and then knitted together at the end is fantastic. The cinematography is just manic in the best possible way. The camera swirls around the actors like a shark around a swimmer, pans from mouth to mouth in a conversation literally carrying the dialogue across open space from character to character, pulls in so tight that at times the only image on the screen is the contour of a cheekbone or a speaking mouth. The necktie scene in the opening of episode 2 is powerful because of how beautifully it's filmed.

I have only one complaint . The fifth episode goes a little weak, and has "The End" written all over it. As in, no season 2. This mini series does cater to a fairly narrow audience I guess. There is nothing vulgar or obscene about it but it does contain and imply some rather exotic sexual practices "enjoyed" by both straight and gay people alike. But in this case, by gay people. That may be a bridge too far for some but the quality of this work and the story line of this project more than justifies it. And it never seems out of balance or exploitative. See, again here, I don't want to give away why. You just have to see it for yourself and trust. It is well worth the journey.

An initial warning: there are explicit scenes of male nudity and overt gay sex interaction in the first chapter which may be shocking or disturbing to certain people. I have found them necessary to the plot and by any means with a pornographic intention as someone has suggested here. If you feel strongly against these scenes, perhaps you should skip them, but I would still advise to see the show. It would be a pity to miss such an extraordinary miniseries on behalf of some minutes of physical love between the male characters.

***

There are many ways of setting the table for a spy story. This does it in a quite unusual, anti-Guy Ritchie, anti-Mission Impossible way.

You enter London Spy not through a frenzied mosaic of espionage clues, not through a crazy car/plane/chopper persecution set in a fancy city, not through a climactic adrenaline first scene before the title sequence.

Instead, you will be guided by a "slow motion narrative" through a deeply intimate and loving gay relationship between two strangers. The enigma is rather in the brief emotional hints than in object clues until, in the last couple of minutes in the first episode, the knot is revealed and by then you are already convinced that you are watching something really different and impressive.

The cast and all the actors are simply perfect.

Ben Whishaw brings us a one-man festival in himself, what a talented actor and what a wonderful composition! I had never seen Edward Holcroft before but I have to say he makes a perfect Alex here, as tense and hermetic as vulnerable at the same time.

Plus a great, unreadable Jim Broadbent who disturbs and intrigues you from the first scene. And Charlotte Rampling with her habitual show of performative prowess and depth.

As a bonus, it upturns several stereotypes. First, the matter of homosexuality in a spy context. Second, the fact that such homosexuality is male, and presented as a stylized, highly intimate love story. Then, the kind of intelligence at work in the deductive unveiling of the truth, which is not the usual "cold, analytic, razor-blade precise wit" in the espionage movies. Instead, we see a man equipped with traditionally female cognitive resources: emotional intelligence, insight, keen observation, intuition... This came to me as a surprise. (Kudos to Ben Whishaw)

The show is running on the air as I write this, but so far it is an alluring, impressive series whose end, I hope, will not disappoint and live up to the wonderful expectations set up in the first episodes.

This is a difficult drama to review as a whole, for me I'd split it up into three parts, a pretty good start, a fantastic middle (core) and a somewhat disappointing conclusion. The story itself is pretty different and intriguing, it is wonderfully deep, with so many threads all needing tying up. The performances are top notch, and as a production it's what you'd except from the BBC, it's slick and beautifully made.

I've been a huge fan of Ben Whishaw since The Booze Cruise, he is such a talented guy, and he shines through here as you'd expect. No surprises that he was BAFTA nominated for this, he is incredible. They did a fantastic job with the supporting cast too, Jim Broadbent and Charlotte Rampling are superb too, both bring really different elements to the production, Broadbent takes you on an emotional journey, whereas Rampling adds a touch of villainy.

I'll need to re-watch, as some of the conclusion I didn't understand, maybe it'll make more sense upon a second viewing. The conclusion felt like it had been lifted from a different show.

All in all though it's a fantastic production, full of suspense, mystery and intrigue. The BBC follows up 'The Game,' in some style, long may this calibre of drama continue.

8/10.

London Spy is about a guy who meets another guy, fell in love and decided that this is the person he can spend rest of his life with. Until the other person ends up murdered. After his dreams being shattered, he found out that there was a lot which he did not know about his boyfriend, who happens to be a spy. Also, he has to clear his name as a suspect. He refused the stories being fed to him and took it upon himself to fight the unknown resisting forces to find the truth about how the man he loved so much ended up dead.

I love to watch Ben Whishaw on screen. I can watch anything he is in. In this five-part series, he played the part of an innocent lover of a spy with amazing finesse. On top of that, you'll get to see Charlotte Rampling's mysterious portrayal of a mother who just lost her son. Also, special mention should be given to Jim Broadbent for playing a Man Friday to the lead character.

The series follows Ben while he tries to find out who killed his lover and why. He is so unsure of what is going on but he is sure of one thing, Alex (his lover, played by Edward Holcroft) loved him more than anything. This gives him the courage to tackle anything which comes between him and finding the truth. One thing which I had a problem with was his amazing abilities to fill the holes in the stories. Many times it feels like he would come up with a connection between things on his own just like that.

Nevertheless, the series is an amazing watch. It has a lot of twists and turns but mostly what I loved were intense conversations between crucial characters.